MacEwan University's Creative Writing Community

Call for Submissions: FAQ

As announced at our Volume II book launch Wednesday night, the call for submissions for Volume III is now open. The deadline is 11:59 pm on January 5, 2018. In anticipation of the questions many of you will have, we’ve put together this handy little FAQ.

Who can submit?

Anyone can, though we will give priority to current MacEwan University students. As for submitters who are not currently enrolled at MacEwan, preference will be given to those who are involved with the Bolo Tie community.

What can I submit?

We are looking for previously unpublished fiction, creative non-fiction, flash pieces, and poetry. See our Call for Submissions page for more information regarding word counts and formatting.

Are there any genres you prefer?

No. Any genre is welcome, but we will not publish anything hateful.

What happens after I submit?

We will review each piece that has been submitted. You can expect to hear back from us by mid-January.

What happens if my submission is accepted?

Authors whose pieces have been conditionally accepted will have to indicate that they agree to our revision process. Once this is done, each author will be matched with a substantive editing team of two editors who will take the author and their work through several rounds of revision. The substantive editing process will likely finish by mid-March, after which the technical editing process will begin. At that point authors can no longer make changes to their work. Technical editing and design will continue through the summer, so that the book will be ready for printing early in the fall.

My story/poem won’t be ready by January 5. Can I get an extension?

Unfortunately, no. We will be making our acquisition decisions shortly after the deadline so that the substantive editing phase can begin as quickly as possible. In other words, get writing as soon as you can!

I’m self-conscious about my writing, and I’m nervous about sending it out. What do I do?

Don’t worry! We’re pretty nice here at the Bolo Tie Collective. One way to get over your anxiety is to come to a few of our workshops. It’s a supportive atmosphere, and you’ll get a sense of where your peers are at in their writing. You may even get to workshop your story before submitting it.

Keep in mind, too, that we do get quite a few submissions—far more than we can accept, unfortunately. Don’t get too discouraged if we can’t take your story or poem at this time. The important thing is that you keep writing and expressing yourself through this incredible medium.

Do you pay authors for the stories you accept?

No, but each author and editor involved in the process will receive one contributor copy of the book when it is published next fall.

If you have any particular questions we haven’t covered here, feel free to email us at bolotiesubmissions@gmail.com and we’ll answer it. In the meantime, get writing!